Process Action Analysis

Objectives

Process action analysis details overall logic processes. The result of this step is the process action diagram which articulates the actual steps a process requires to transform data and produce user results. The first component focuses on capturing processes on a system by system basis. This is used to establish a baseline bottom-up process action diagram(s) for integration into the target merge step.

The second component of this task integrates multiple systems into an existing baseline model or into a top-down model. The approach taken is dictated by work completed in process hierarchy/dependency.

Specific objectives for this task include the following:

· Extract business rule representations from current systems

· Represent implementation dependent processes as implementation independent process action diagrams

· Port current process definitions from a physical representation into target application process action diagram format

· Create a finalized process action diagram to be used as basis for target system

Entrance Criteria

The entrance criteria for the process action analysis task are listed below.

· Specific scenario to drive either a bottom-up and/or top-down functional integration effort

· Completion of the functional assessment, function hierarchy analysis

· Completion of the functional assessment, function dependency analysis

· Completion of data definition rationalization and literal externalization for source systems

· Completion of code stabilization & re-aggregation tasks based on the scenario driving this effort

· Completion of logical data analysis task - as dictated by the invoking scenario

· Completion of process hierarchy/dependency analysis task - as dictated by invoking scenario

· Completion of top-down process hierarchy and process dependency diagrams

· Population of LTM repository model as completed in process hierarchy/dependency task

Roles/Skills

The personnel and skill requirements necessary to meet the process action analysis task objectives are identified below.

· Redevelopment Expert

- Ability to determine best mix of top-down/bottom-up analysis and how to integrate these techniques

- Assistance with the techniques themselves within scope of a project

· Function Modeling Expert

- Expertise in capturing and merging bottom-up process action diagrams & integrating those models into bottom-up and/or top-down process models

· Current Systems Expert

- Knowledge of existing system source environment

- Knowledge of the functionality of current system

· Target System Functional Expert

- Knowledge of target functional requirements

· User Requirements Analyst

- Ability to provide input to strategic model

· Repository Administrator

- Ability to access and update LTM repository

Input Requirements

The system components and related inputs required to initiate and complete the process action analysis task are listed below.

· Current function and process hierarchy diagrams for each system entering this task

· Current function and process dependency diagrams for each system entering this task

· If applicable, integrated target process hierarchy and dependency diagrams created in process hierarchy/dependency analysis task

· Completed Functional assessment Form 005 for each system entering this task

· Completed/updated Functional mapping Form 004 for each system entering this task

· Completed Transformation process mapping Form 031 - corresponding to each system process hierarchy input above

· Completed mapping Forms 004 and 031, if applicable, for integrated target system hierarchy created in process hierarchy/dependency analysis task

· Existing system components - all source code for all current systems entering this task is required

· Completed entity relationship model as defined in logical data analysis task

· Completed logical (normalized) data model as defined in logical data analysis task

· Top-down function and process hierarchy diagrams (if required by the scenario driving this process)

· Top-down function and process dependency diagrams (if required by the scenario driving this process)

· Legacy transition meta-model (LTM) populated with all system components and relationships between processes and related physical components

Tool/Technology Support

Technologies supporting the process action analysis task include business rule capture, interactive system analysis, I-CASE modeling, open systems repository and program editor tools. These tools are used to represent information as required by this task.

Business rule capture tool

Required rule extraction tool criteria include the ability to "slice" out a rule based on specified selection criteria. Since business rules do not limit themselves to the confines of a source program, extraction tools must be able to analyze logic across program boundaries. This analysis may be performed either statically or dynamically (during actual execution of a system).

Beyond these criteria, a rule extraction tool should be able to bypass or highlight implementation dependent logic, store an extracted rule, further extract against a previously extracted rule, display a rule in varying formats to promote understandability and transform an extracted rule into a reusable format.

Interactive system analysis tool

The interactive system analysis tool should be able to trace logic across a system through data usage and execution linkage. Analysis may be depicted either graphically or highlighted in interactive source code views. Ideally, the tool also can capture and depict a logic block in a way that simplifies analysis of the function performed.

· Capture and depict a logic block in a way that simplifies analysis of the function performed

· Capture logic in some type of annotation format that simplifies reuse or transformation into another format

I-CASE modeling tools

I-CASE analysis workstations provide a mechanism for specifying current and target process action diagrams. While fully automated input facility is available for this type of model, captured rules may certainly be respecified in this format.

Open systems repository

A repository provides an important, yet optional, capability to link business areas, systems and components using the legacy transition meta-model. In this task, repository is used to trace the flow of current processes as input to bottom-up process hierarchy modeling effort.

Program editor

Program editor is used in this task to further trace related logic based on data usage within programs. This logic is then evaluated to determine transformation requirement into process action diagram model.

Task Steps

The process action analysis task is comprised of the following task steps:

	Derive Bottom-Up Process Action Diagrams
	Merge Processes into Target Action Diagram
	Refine Completed Process Action Diagram